Ostwald Helgason

Following Ostwald Helgason's much-noted runway debut in February, design duo Susanne Ostwald and Ingvar Helgason offered up an energetic Resort collection, both in terms of color and a penchant for sporty fabrics—here, as elsewhere, mesh was a major statement for the season.

The German-born Ostwald has a background in fine art, something that comes through in deft color-blocking and bright tropical critters like an orange-and-blue toucan on a gray sweatshirt. In a more subdued vein, the designers made a compelling case for abstract geometric landscapes, whether on shifts or as knits. They're also busily exploring new fabric treatments and combinations. One example: a skirt made of heat-pressed, woven blue raffia that was worked into honeycombed and lacy patterns, bonded with technical fabric and layered over black linen cotton. Speaking of technical fabrics, sporty-smart outerwear was a welcome carryover from the label's Fall collection. But overall, Ostwald and Helgason seem to have found a sweet spot with playful, mix-and-match daywear in simple shapes that let the pattern and fabrications do the talking. Yes, the clothes are so loaded with detail it's hard to list them all here, but at least they're not fussy: One could just as easily give one of these feminine skirts the uptown treatment as take it downtown with the russet-and-turquoise monkey sweatshirt and sneakers.